Gibbons loses senators’ backing

By Jeff German (contact)

Friday, May 18, 2007 | 7:20 a.m.

After expressing initial support, Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign have backed away from a plan by Gov. Jim Gibbons to obtain federal funding for a central intelligence gathering hub in Carson City .

Gibbons wants the "fusion center" to oversee similar broader operations set to open in Las Vegas and Reno and serve as the state's main link with the Homeland Security Department.

The governor's plan, pushed by his homeland security advis er, Larry Martines, has created an uproar among Southern Nevada law enforcement officials who believe the Las Vegas fusion center, with its greater resources and strong ties to federal anti-terrorism officials, should be the state's main intelligence hub.

After an April 16 meeting with Martines in Washington, Reid issued a news release hailing the merits of a Carson City fusion center and pledging to help Martines obtain the resources he needs to protect the state.

The next day, Reid and Ensign wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in support of the state's efforts to obtain $1.7 million in anti-terrorism money to set up the Carson City fusion center. The state could learn by July whether it will receive the money.

But on Monday, amid growing concerns that the Carson City hub was threatening to disrupt aggressive efforts to establish the Las Vegas fusion center, Sheriff Doug Gillespie, who is overseeing the operation, talked with Reid.

After meeting with Gillespie in Washington, Reid issued a news release touting the importance of securing funding not for Carson City but for the fusion centers in Las Vegas and Reno.

Reid spokesman Jon Summers told the Sun that Reid doesn't support obtaining federal money for a Carson City fusion center at this time.

"There are limited resources, and it makes the most sense to allocate the resources where the largest populations are," Summers said. "If more resources become available, and there is a demonstrated need for one in Carson City, then he'll look at it."

Tory Mazzola, a spokesman for Ensign, said the senator shares Reid's view.

Ensign supports the ones in Reno and Las Vegas because of limited resources, Mazzola said.

Summers said Martines last month gave the senators the impression that law enforcement agencies in Southern Nevada were behind the governor's Carson City hub plan.

"The senator would have liked a clearer picture of what the situation was," Summers said.

Gillespie said he arranged to meet with Reid on Monday because "the clear message wasn't being sent."

Fusion centers are designed to remove information-sharing roadblocks and streamline intelligence gathering across jurisdictions so law enforcement authorities can more effectively detect potential acts of terrorism.

The sheriff said he was told that when Reid and Ensign last month asked Martines about the progress of the Las Vegas and Reno fusion centers, he responded that he didn't know.

That seemed odd to Gillespie because the status of the Las Vegas center is well - known, he said.

Metro plans to open the operation in July with the latest intelligence-gathering resources in the country. Sixty-one Metro employees, including detectives and intelligence and crime analysts, will be stationed at the high-tech center , along with representatives from other local, state and federal agencies. The Homeland Security Department is lending the center an analyst.

The Las Vegas operation, Gillespie said, is in the best position to serve as the state's primary fusion center and link to the federal government.

The sheriff also has tried to educate Gibbons about the fusion center process. He met with Gibbons on May 3 in Carson City, where he voiced his concerns about the governor's plan and has since provided Gibbons with more information about the Las Vegas operation.

Currently, federal officials said, there are 43 fusion centers in 28 states, with 70 expected to be operating within three years. The centers in Las Vegas and Reno were awarded $6.5 million in federal money last July to get started.

Martines said he did not know that Reid and Ensign had soured on getting federal money to launch the Carson City hub, and he did not want to respond.

He said he made it clear to Reid last month that the Carson City center would operate in a "cooperative fashion" with the centers in Las Vegas and Reno.

"It's intended to fit into the mix," he said, adding it would coordinate anti-terrorism efforts in the rest of the state.